I really like motorhomes, for some reason. I bought an old one to move across the country, and ever since then my standard of true automotive luxury involves a toilet. That’s why I’m excited to see this new generation of RVs built on the Transit platform, and delighted by one particularly clever feature.

Ford’s been in the motorhome-chassis business for decades, with their Econoline (later E-Series) cab-and-chassis platform, similar to offerings from Dodge and GM. Things have been a little stagnant in the RV chassis arena for a while, which is why I’m pleased to see a modern take on vans (think Sprinter, Transit, etc) used in the motorhome context.

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Ford’s press release for their cab-and-chassis solution features the Winnebago Fuse, a class C motorhome that’s one of the first new RVs I’ve seen that looks nice enough to make me actually realize how archaic my old ‘77 Tioga really is. It also is likely to bring up wiring diagrams for old ‘Bagos when you google it. Plus, it has this:

That’s a great idea, right? Flip up that door, set up a bunch of chairs, and you have a little movie theater wherever you go! I mean, sure, camping’s great, but at some point you’ve just had enough of the aching beauty of the majesty of nature and the grand outdoors and being at one with the almighty’s creation and you just want to fucking puke.

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That’s why the option to binge-watch every Police Academy movie outside, on a huge screen, until your eyes bleed is such a fantastic option.

Really, though, that’s a clever idea.

The interior design of RVs also seems to be finally growing away from the seas-of-beige and overdone Colonial-style fittings and furnishings, which is quite welcome. Look at that flooring! That’s great. Also, it’s worth asking why is it that RVs (and a select few muscle cars) seem to be the only vehicles available from the factory with extensive stripe packages?

Actually, it’s not just stripes — they’re brown stripes. Like RVs have used since Abraham Lincoln bought his first Winnebago Steam-Transit-House in 1867. My RV has brown stripes over beige. Almost every RV has brown stripes over beige. How did this become such a rigid standard? I’ll look into that.

I know the Sprinter is available for this sort of use as well, and I’m hoping this new generation of far more efficient RVs (my thirsty old 440 gets an ecologically criminal 6 MPG or so) will spark a resurgence of interest in motorhomes by people who’s next major purchase isn’t likely to be a drawer in a mausoleum.